The Economics of Marriage in North Africa

Abstract

Marriage is the single most important economic transaction and social transition in the lives of young people. Yet little is known about the economics of marriage in much of the developing world. This paper examines the economics of marriage in North Africa, where asymmetric rights in marriage create incentives for extensive upfront bargaining and detailed marriage contracts. A description of the existing literature on the economics of marriage in North Africa demonstrates the scant and fragmentary nature of both theory and empirical work. Drawing on economic theories of the marriage market and game-theoretic approaches to bargaining, this paper proposes a unifying framework for understanding the economics of marriage in North Africa.

“My happiest time” or “my saddest time”? The spatial and generational construction of marriage among youth in rural Malawi and Lesotho

“…The familial obligations associated with marriage have significant consequences. Ability to pay (or desire to expedite or minimise payments) may shape age at marriage and also the way in which it reconfigures the relationships of age, gender and generation that sustain and shape young people's lives (Assaad & Krafft, 2014). Marriage intervenes in the lifecourse (symbolically and empirically), usually in a transformative way.…”

Political and Socio-Economic Change in the Middle East and North Africa

“…The ability to transition from acquiring a job to being able to start a family also matters. In MENA, the average difference between men and women at the age of first marriage is five to seven years (Assaad and Krafft 2014). When the youth bulge hits its peak (as it did from 2005 to 2010), not only are there relatively few jobs for the additional number of 25-to 29-year-old job seekers, but for the male job seekers, there are also relatively smaller cohorts of young women following them.…”